AQE Spanish Race & Hispanic Origin Questions Plan

The Census Bureau plans to conduct additional research under the generic clearance for questionnaire pretesting research (OMB number 0607-0725). The objective of this research is to conduct cognitive testing of experimental Hispanic origin and race questions that are translated in Spanish. These experimental questions are part of the Census Program Evaluations and Experiments (CPEX) program for the 2010 Census. Test results of the Spanish translations will be used to inform the research design of focus groups with Spanish-language speakers that will be conducted as part of the CPEX program.

Eleven forms will be cognitively tested. Each allows respondents to mark multiple Hispanic origin and race categories in different ways. They differ as follows:

• Form X2 in the attachment includes specific countries of origin for Hispanic, Asian, and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, and a check box and write-in boxes for each of the other races. The White, Black, other Hispanic, American Indian or Alaska Native, Other Asian, and Other Pacific Islander boxes contain detailed examples;

• Form X2a has the same format as B2a (X2), except that the former uses the term “origin(s)” in the question and write-in instructions, instead of the term “origin(origins)”;

• Form X3 in the attachment includes a check box and write-in boxes for each race/Hispanic origin category. Examples are included for all major groups;

• Form X3a has the same format as B2b (X3), except that the former uses the term “origin(origins)” in the question and write-in instructions, instead of the term “origin(s)”;

• Form X4 in the attachment includes check boxes for each major group, followed by a single set of write-in boxes for all respondents to enter their specific race, origin or enrolled or principal tribe. A brief set of example categories are included;

• Form X5 in the attachment includes specific countries of origin for Hispanic, Asian, and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander ethnicities, and write-in boxes for Other Hispanic, American Indian or Alaska Native, Other Asian, Other Pacific Islander, and Other race. Examples are included for Other Hispanic, Other Asian, and Other Pacific Islander;

• Form X9 in the attachment includes Hispanic origin and race as separate questions with write-in boxes for Other Hispanic, American Indian or Alaska Native, Other Asian, Other Pacific Islander, and Some other race. Examples are included for Other Hispanic, American Indian or Alaska Native, Other Asian, Other Pacific Islander;

• Form X9a has the same format as X9, except that the former uses the term “BOTH” in the note before question 8.

• Form (X14 in the attachment tests removing “race” from the Other Asian and Other Pacific Islander, alphabetizing Other Asian examples, and including “banners” for Asian and Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander;

• Form X16 in the attachment tests the overall strategy of removing the “race” term in the question by changing the question stem to exclude the term “race,” and removing “race” from Other Asian and Other Pacific Islander instructions; and

• Form X17 in the attachment tests removing “race” from the question stem, removing “race” from the Other Asian and Other Pacific Islander, alphabetizing Other Asian examples, and including “banners” for Asian and Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and deleting Negro from the Black category.

Between April and August 2010, staff from the Statistical Research Division will conduct a maximum of 33 interviews in Spanish among monolingual Spanish-speaking respondents. The Spanish-speaking respondents will reflect diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds, as well as Spanish-speaking nationalities from North America and South America. To the maximum extent possible, within these specific criteria we will attempt to interview respondents of varying ages, genders and educational levels.

A copy of the English version of 8 of these forms is attached. The changes to Forms 2a, 3a, and 9a are extremely minor (see the bullet points on the previous page) and English versions of these forms do not exist.

We will use a multi-pronged strategy to recruit the respondents needed from each racial/ethnic group, such as posting ads in free local newspapers, and contacting local associations. Respondents will be screened to ensure that respondents are monolingual Spanish-language speakers.

Interviews will be conducted using the retrospective think-aloud method. Each respondent will complete one version of the experimental questions, and will be shown two to three of the other versions (depending on the protocol) for comparison at the end of the interview. For protocols in which forms X2, X2a, X3, X3a, X9, and X9a are compared at the end of the interview- and its corresponding form is not the original form- the corresponding form must be introduced and compared at the end of the interview. For example, the protocol for form X2 compares X2a and X9 at the end of the protocol. Because form X9 has a corresponding form (i.e., X9a), X9a must also be compared. This accounts for why some protocols compare two forms and other protocols compare three forms. The only exception is for protocols for forms X3a and X5. These protocols compare forms X2 and X3, and their corresponding forms (i.e., X2a and X3a, respectively) differ only in the use of “origin(s)” and “origin(origins).” Thus, only one of the corresponding forms will be needed for comparison.

For each respondent, the cognitive test will use paper-and-pencil mockups of the Hispanic origin/race questions, but the order of the forms will vary. Copies of the protocols used to conduct the interview are attached.

The interviews will be conducted in the Washington DC metropolitan area. The interviews will be conducted at the Census Bureau’s cognitive laboratory, offices of community associations, and locations convenient to respondents.

Cognitive interviews will be tape-recorded, with the participants' permission, to facilitate a summary of the results. All participants will be informed that their response is voluntary and that the information they provide is confidential. Respondents will receive $40 for their participation.

The estimated time for completion of each of the cognitive interviews is an hour. Thus, the estimated burden for this research is 33 hours.

The contact person for questions regarding data collection and study design is:

Rodney Terry

Statistical Research Division

U.S. Census Bureau

Room 5K112C

Washington, D.C. 20233

(301) 763-5475

[email protected]